This study came at a point when the demolition-driven approach of the early HMR strategies was being replaced by a more considered approach to market intervention. We quickly concluded in Rochdale that there were no neighbourhoods that justified demolition. Yet the community were poorly housed in overcrowded terraces that were not being well maintained. The problem was that the terraces were too small for the large families that characterised the Asian community and that, while housing values had risen, household incomes were too low to borrow against this value to improve the stock.

The first part of the strategy proposed redeveloping underused industrial areas for new housing particularly larger family units. This would be done in partnership with the residents of adjacent housing areas. Once complete, the residents would be assisted to move into the new housing (with an equity investment scheme through a Community Land Trust). The second part of the strategy was based on reinventing the terraced housing areas for first time buyers.

Overall the strategy provided a template for remodelling industrial towns: Moving employment to modern premises; redeveloping old employment areas as new housing to reinforce the centre of the town and to provide a more balanced stock; and reinventing older terraced neighbourhoods as affordable housing for smaller households.